Platelet anti-aggregation activities of compounds from Cinnamomum cassia

Cinnamomum cassia is a well-known traditional medicine for improvement of blood circulation. An extract of this plant showed both platelet anti-aggregation and blood anti-coagulation effects in preliminary testing. Among the 13 compounds obtained from this plant, eugenol (2), amygdalactone (4), cinnamic alcohol (5), 2-hydroxycinnamaldehyde (7), 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde (8), and coniferaldehyde (9) showed 1.5-73-fold greater inhibitory effects than acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on arachidonic acid (AA)-induced aggregation (50% inhibitory concentration [IC₅₀] = 3.8, 5.16, 31.2, 40.0, 16.9, and 0.82 μM, respectively, vs. 60.3 μM) and 6.3-730-fold stronger effect than ASA on U46619 (a thromboxane A₂ mimic)-induced aggregation (IC₅₀ = 3.51, 33.9, 31.0, 51.3, 14.6, and 0.44 μM, respectively, vs. 321 μM). The other compounds, coumarin (3), cinnamaldehyde (6), cinnamic acid (10), icariside DC (11), and dihydrocinnacasside (12), also inhibited (2.5 to four times greater than ASA) U46619-induced aggregation. In addition, compounds 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 were 1.3-87 times more effective than ASA against epinephrine-induced aggregation (IC₅₀ = 1.86, 1.10, 37.7, 25.0, 16.8, 15.3, and 0.57 μM, respectively, vs. 50.0 μM). However, the 13 compounds were only very mildly effective against blood coagulation, if at all. In conclusion, compounds 2, 4, 8, and 9 showed stronger inhibitory potencies than others on AA-, U46619-, and epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation. Eugenol (2) and coniferaldehyde (9) were the two of the most active anti-platelet constituents of C. cassia.